Ancient executions and torture of people. The worst executions in world history
In the Middle Ages, the church played a key role in politics and public life. Against the background of the flourishing of architecture and scientific technology, the Inquisition and church courts persecuted dissidents and used torture. Denunciations and executions were massive. Women were especially helpless and powerless. Therefore, today we will tell you about the most terrible medieval torture for girls.
Their life was not like the fairy-tale world of knightly romances. Girls were more often accused of witchcraft and, under torture, confessed to acts that they did not commit. Sophisticated corporal punishment is striking in savagery, cruelty and inhumanity. A woman has always been guilty: for infertility and a large number of children, for an illegitimate child and various bodily defects, for healing and violating biblical rules. Public corporal punishment was used to gain information and intimidate the public.
The worst torture of women in human history
Most of the instruments of torture were mechanized. The victim suffered tremendous pain and died from his injuries. The authors of all the creepy instruments knew well the structure of the human body, each method brought unbearable suffering. Although, of course, these tools were applied not only to women, but they suffered more than others.
Pear of Suffering
The mechanism was a metal pear divided into several segments. There was a screw in the middle of the pear. The device was inserted into the guilty woman's mouth, vaginal or anal opening. The screw mechanism opened the pear segments. As a result, the internal organs were damaged: the vagina, cervix, intestines, pharynx. A very terrible death.
The trauma caused by the device was incompatible with life. Usually, the torture was applied to girls accused of being associated with the devil. At the sight of such a weapon, the defendants confessed to cohabitation with the devil, the use of the blood of babies in magical rituals. But confessions did not save the poor girls. They died in the fire anyway.
Witch chair (spanish chair)
Applied to girls convicted of witchcraft. The suspect was fixed with belts and handcuffs on an iron chair, in which the seat, back, side parts were covered with thorns. The person did not die immediately from blood loss, the thorns slowly pierced the body. The cruel suffering did not end there, they put hot coals under the chair.
History has preserved the fact that at the end of the 17th century a woman from Austria, accused of witchcraft, spent eleven days in agony in such an armchair, but she died without confessing to the crime.
Throne
A special device for prolonged torture. The "throne" was a wooden chair with holes in the back. The woman's legs were fixed in the holes, and her head was lowered down. The uncomfortable position caused suffering: the blood rushed to the head, the muscles of the neck and back were stretched. But no traces of torture remained on the suspect's body.
A fairly harmless tool, reminiscent of a modern vise, delivered pain, broke bones, but did not lead to the death of the person being interrogated.
Stork
The woman was placed in an iron device that allowed her to be fixed in a position with her legs drawn to her stomach. This position caused muscle spasms. Prolonged pain, convulsions, slowly drove me crazy. Additionally, the victim could be tortured with a red-hot iron.
Spiked heel shoes
The torture shoes were fixed on the leg with shackles. With the help of a special device, spikes were screwed into the heel. For some time, the victim could stand on his fingers to relieve pain and prevent deep penetration of the thorns. But in such a position it is impossible to stand for a long time. The poor sinner faced severe pain, blood loss, sepsis.
"Vigil" (torture with insomnia)
For this purpose, a special chair was created with a pyramid-shaped seat. The girl was seated on a seat, she could not sleep or relax. But the inquisitors found a more efficient way to gain recognition. The tied suspect was seated in such a position that the tip of the pyramid penetrated the vagina.
The torture lasted for hours, the unconscious woman was revived and returned to the pyramid, which tore apart her body and injured her genitals. To increase the pain, heavy objects were tied to the victim's legs, and a hot iron was applied.
Goats for witches (Spanish donkey)
The naked sinner was seated on a pyramidal wooden block; to enhance the effect, a weight was tied to her legs. The torture caused pain, but unlike the previous one, it did not tear the woman's genitals.
Water torture
This method of inquiry was considered humane, although it often led to the death of the suspect. A funnel was inserted into the girl's mouth, and a large amount of water was poured. Then they jumped on the unfortunate woman, which could cause rupture of the stomach and intestines. Boiling water and molten metal could be poured through the funnel. Often ants and other insects were launched into the mouth or vagina of the victim. Even an innocent girl confessed to any sins in order to avoid a terrible fate.
Pectoral
The torture device looks like a chest piece. Hot metal was placed on the girl's chest. After interrogation, if the suspect did not die of painful shock and did not confess to a crime against the faith, charred flesh remained instead of a breast.
The device, made in the form of metal hooks, was often used to interrogate girls convicted of witchcraft or manifestations of lust. Such a tool could punish a woman who cheated on her husband and gave birth out of wedlock. A very tough measure.
Bathing witch
The inquiry was carried out in the cold season. The sinner was seated in a special chair and tied tightly. If the woman did not repent, the dipping was carried out until she suffocated under water or froze.
Was there torture of women in the Middle Ages in Russia?
In medieval Russia there was no persecution of witches and heretics. Such sophisticated tortures were not applied to women, but for murder and state crimes they could bury them up to their necks in the ground, punish them with a whip so that their skin was torn to shreds.
Well, that's probably enough for today. We think that now you understand how terrible medieval torture was for girls, and it is unlikely that now any of the fair sex would want to travel back to the Middle Ages to the valiant knights.
People often dream of being in the past. But history lovers should pay attention to the fact that not everything is as romantic as it might seem. The past was a brutal, brutal place where the slightest legal or social violation could lead to a painful and gruesome death. Over the past several hundred years, most Western nations have abolished the death penalty. But in the past, it was very often set for the goal of inflicting as much pain as possible on the person who was being executed.
There were various reasons for this; some were political, religious, and some were used as intimidation. Whatever the reason, the executions were horrific. See below for the worst executions in human history.
Scafism
Scafism (also known as "boats") was an ancient Persian method of execution, whereby the convict was tied up inside a small boat or hollowed-out tree trunk. The only thing left outside was the victim's arms, legs and head.
The victim was forcefully fed milk and honey to cause severe diarrhea. Moreover, honey was smeared all over the body, with special emphasis on the eyes, ears and mouth.
The honey attracted insects, which multiplied in the victim's excrement or in his dead skin. Death occurred within days or weeks from dehydration, starvation, and septic shock.
Bestiaries
In ancient Rome, huge crowds gathered in amphitheatres to witness the brutal, inhuman execution.
The bestiaries were one of the favorite activities of these gatherings. The prisoners were sent to the center of the arena. Angry wild tigers and lions were also released there. The animals remained in the arena until they maimed or bitten to death the last victim.
It is important to note that some entered the arena voluntarily, for money or fame, but these fighters were given weapons and armor, and they fought purely for the entertainment of the crowd, while criminals or political prisoners were completely defenseless and deprived of the chance to defend themselves.
Elephant execution
Death by an elephant was a common execution method in South and Southeast Asia, although Western powers like Rome and Carthage also used it.
Death came either quickly or slowly, depending on the severity of the crime. A trained elephant either stepped on the head, causing instant death, or stepped on the limbs, crushing one after another.
Vertical shaker
The vertical shaker was invented in the United States in the 19th century. It is very similar to hanging, but in this case, the prisoner was strongly lifted up by the neck in order to sever the spinal cord and cause instant death. This method was intended to replace traditional hanging, but has not found widespread use.
Sawing
The sawing execution was used all over the world. Often, the convict was hung upside down, allowing the executioners to start sawing from the genitals. The inverted position allowed enough blood to flow to the brain to keep the victim alive to continue the horrific torture.
Skin peeling alive
Live skinning has also been used by different cultures. The victim was held while the skin was cut from the body. Death came from shock, blood loss, hypothermia, or infection, and that could be boring.
In some cultures, a person's skin was hung in a public place to alert others to the consequences of disobeying the law.
Wheeling
Wheeling is one of the most brutal executions on our list. Reserved for particularly nasty criminals. The convict was tied to a large, spoked wheel. He was then beaten with truncheons or other blunt instruments.
Bloody eagle
The bloody eagle is a ritual execution method described in Scandinavian poetry. The ribs of the condemned person were broken outward so that they resemble wings, and the lungs were taken out and hung on the ribs.
There is some debate as to whether the ritual was a fictional literary device or an actual historical practice, but many agree that the details are too creepy to be practiced.
Burning at the stake
We have all seen this inquisitorial execution that was shown in films, but few realize how widespread it was in medieval times and antiquity.
In Europe, a convicted person was often given the chance to confess to a milder sentence - they were strangled to death before the fire was lit. Otherwise, they either burned out or died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Bamboo torture
An unusual and very painful method of execution. It is believed to have been used in parts of Asia as well as by Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The victim was placed on pointed bamboo shoots. Over the course of several weeks, a very resilient plant would start growing right through the victim's body, eventually impaling it.
The prisoner was fed, not allowing him to die prematurely, thus making his death even more painful.
Lynchy
Lingchi, also known as Slow Slicing or Death by Thousands of Wounds, is a particularly gruesome method of execution that was used in China from ancient times to 1905.
The executioner gradually and methodically cut the victim into pieces, leaving it alive for as long as possible.
Burial alive
Unfortunately, this method of execution has been used in many cultures for centuries. Death came in the form of asphyxiation, dehydration, or worse, starvation. In some cases, fresh air entered the coffin from below, as a result of which the convict remained alive in complete darkness for several days or weeks, until he finally died.
Spanish tickler
The Spanish tickler is a method of execution that is also known as "Cat's Paw". The Cat's Paw was a torture and execution device. The device was attached to the executioner's hand, allowing him to easily cleanse the flesh from the victim. Everything was done live, and the convict died much later due to infection.
Every criminal must be punished! This is the opinion of all mankind, and many demand that the punishment be as harsh and terrible as possible. In ancient times, people were not satisfied with the deprivation of the life of a convict; they wanted to see how criminals suffer from pain. That is why various painful punishments were invented in the form of impaling, gutting, quartering or feeding insects. Today you will find out what the most cruel executions were used in the past.
Alcatraz is America's worst prison
In Alcatraz, one of the most famous prisons with strict rules and strict standards, inveterate criminals did not have the opportunity to experience the horror of the brutal methods of execution invented by judges and executioners. Although it is Alcatraz that is considered the worst prison in America, there was no equipment for carrying out the death penalty.
This type of execution was a favorite pastime of the Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes, better known as Vlad Dracula. At his order, the victims were impaled on a stake with a rounded top. The torture instrument was inserted through the anus several tens of centimeters deep, after which it was placed vertically and raised higher. Under the weight of its own weight, the victim slowly slid down. The cause of death when impaled was a rupture of the rectum, which led to the development of peritonitis. According to available data, about 20-30 thousand of the subordinates of the Romanian ruler died from this type of execution.
The idea of creating an invention designed to fight heretics belonged to Ippolito Marsili. The instrument of torture was a wooden pyramid, towering on four legs. The naked accused was hung on special ropes and slowly lowered onto the tip of the pyramid. The execution process was suspended at night, and in the morning the torture was resumed again. In some cases, additional weights were hung on the accused's legs to increase the pressure. The agonizing suffering of the victims could last for several days. Death occurred as a result of severe suppuration and blood poisoning, since the tip of the pyramid was washed very rarely.
This type of execution was commonly encountered by heretics and blasphemers. The convict had to put on special metal pants, in which he was hung from a tree. Sunburn is nothing compared to what a person had to experience. Hanging in this position, the victim became food for predatory animals.
Those who have gone through this punishment are not to be envied. The limbs of the offender were tied to opposite sides of the hanger, after which, using a special lever, the frame was stretched until the arms and legs began to come out of the joints. Sometimes the executioners turned the lever so hard that the victim simply lost limbs. To intensify the suffering, thorns were also added under the victim's back.
This type of execution was used exclusively for women. For abortion or adultery, women were kept alive but deprived of their breasts. The sharp teeth of the execution weapon made it red-hot, after which the executioner tore the female breast into shapeless shreds with this device. Some French and Germans have come up with other names for the torture device: "Tarantula" and "Spanish spider".
Homosexuals, blasphemers, liars and women who did not give birth to a little man went through hellish torments. For those who sinned, a specially invented instrument of torture in the form of a pear with four petals was inserted into the anus, mouth or vagina. By rotating the screw, each petal slowly opened inside, delivering hellish pain and digging into the wall of the rectum, pharynx or cervix. Death as a result of such an execution almost never occurred, but it was often used in conjunction with other torture.
A person sentenced to a wheel ride most often died of shock and dehydration. The convict was tied to a wheel, and the wheel was set on a pole, so that the victim's gaze was directed to the sky. The executioner broke a man's legs and arms with a crowbar. The victim with broken limbs was not removed from the wheel, but left to die on it. Often, those sentenced to the wheel became an object of eating for birds of prey.
With the help of a two-handed saw, homosexuals and witches were most often executed, although some murderers and thieves were subjected to such torture. The execution instrument was operated by two people. They had to saw the convict hanging upside down. The flow of blood to the brain, caused by the position of the body, did not allow the victim to lose consciousness for a long period of time. So the unheard-of torment seemed eternal.
The Spanish Inquisition was particularly brutal. The most popular method of torture for the investigative and judicial body, created in 1478 by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, was the head crusher. In this type of execution, the victim's chin was fixed on a bar, and a metal hat was put on his head. With the help of a special screw, the executioner squeezed the victim's head. Even if a decision was made to end the execution, a person was left with crippled eyes, jaw and brain for the rest of his life.
A person's legs were placed in cutting pliers with sharp teeth, the number of which varied from 3 to 20, but the hands were also not ignored. Death as a result of torture with the wire cutters did not occur, but the victim was severely crippled. In some cases, to intensify the pain, the teeth of the pliers were red-hot.
History knows, there are still many sophisticated methods of execution, and judging by how cruel and terrible they were, one can only rejoice that none of them survived to this day.
In the old days, people were sentenced to death for all kinds of crimes: from murder to petty theft. Most often, executions were public, so in order to attract more onlookers, they tried to make the act of killing more spectacular. And in this human imagination there were no boundaries.
Copper bull
Before the execution, the condemned was cut off his tongue, and then locked him inside a copper bull. A huge fire was kindled under the bull, and the poor fellow was practically roasted alive in it. Due to the lack of a language, he could not scream, so all that was left for him was to beat against the hot walls. From the blows, the bull staggered and seemed to come to life, causing a stormy delight of the crowd.
Execution by ashes
The person was locked in a cramped, unventilated room filled with ash. The offender died in long agony, which sometimes lasted several days or weeks.
Elephant execution
A person sentenced to death was handed over to be torn apart by a specially trained executioner elephant. He trampled on the victim, and she died from injuries. Moreover, those criminals to whom the elephant stepped on the head, one might say, were still lucky - they died quickly and without torment - while the elephant could torment others for hours.
Bamboo execution
The well-known property of bamboo - rapid growth - was also used by a sick human imagination to torture those sentenced to death. The human body was placed over the shoots of young bamboo, and the plant grew through it, causing unthinkable suffering to the victim.
Milk and honey
The convict was placed in a boat, fixing his body in such a way that he could not move. For a long time, the poor fellow was fed only with milk and honey. If he refused to eat, they poked him in the eye with a sharp stick until he opened his mouth. The skin of the condemned was also coated with honey. Soon, hordes of insects, attracted by the sweet smell, pounced on the body and literally ate the poor man alive.
Consider yourself lucky. If you think so, you, most likely, not only live in a society with a functioning legal system, but also where this system allows you to hope for fair and effective justice, especially in the case of the death penalty. Throughout most of human history, the main purpose of the death penalty was not so much the interruption of human life as the incredibly brutal torture of the victim. The sentenced to death had to go through hell-on-earth. So, here are the 25 most brutal execution methods in human history.
Scafism
An ancient Persian method of execution, when a person was stripped naked and placed in a tree trunk so that only the head, arms and legs protruded. They were then fed only milk and honey until the victim developed severe diarrhea. Thus, honey got into all open areas of the body, which should have attracted insects. As human feces accumulated, this attracted more and more insects and they began to feed and reproduce in his / her skin, which would become more gangrenous. Death can take more than 2 weeks and is most likely due to hunger, dehydration, and shock.
Guillotine
Created in the late 1700s, it was one of the first methods of execution, which called for the end of life rather than the infliction of pain. Although the guillotine was specifically invented as a form of execution of a person, it was banned in France, and was last used in 1977.
Republican marriage
A very strange method of execution was practiced in France. The man and woman were tied together and then thrown into the river to drown.
Cement Shoes
The method of execution was preferred by the American mafia. Similar to Republican Marriage in that drowning is used, but instead of being associated with a person of the opposite sex, the victim's feet were placed in concrete blocks.
Elephant execution
Elephants in Southeast Asia were often trained to prolong the death of a victim. The elephant is a heavy beast, but easy to train. Teaching him to trample criminals on command has always been fun. Many times this method has been used to show that there are rulers even in the natural world.
Plank walks
It was mainly practiced by pirates and sailors. The victims often did not have time to drown, as they were attacked by sharks, which usually followed the ships.
Bestiary
Bestiaries are criminals in ancient Rome who were given to be torn apart by wild beasts. Although sometimes the act was voluntary and carried out for money or recognition, often bestiaries were political prisoners who were sent into the arena naked and unable to defend themselves.
Mazatello
The method is named after the weapon used during the execution, usually a hammer. This method of capital punishment was popular in the papal state in the 18th century. The convict was escorted to the scaffold in the square and he was left alone with the executioner and the coffin. Then the executioner raised the hammer and struck the victim on the head. Since such a blow, as a rule, did not lead to death, immediately after the blow, the throats were cut to the victims.
Vertical "shaker"
Originated in the United States, this method of capital punishment is now often used in countries such as Iran. Although it is very similar to hanging, in this case, to sever the spinal cord, the victims were violently lifted up by the neck, usually using a crane.
Sawing
It was allegedly used in parts of Europe and Asia. The victim was turned upside down and then sawn in half, starting at the groin. Since the victim was upside down, the brain received enough blood to keep the victim conscious while the large vessels in the abdomen were ruptured.
Flaying
The act of removing skin from the human body. This type of execution was often used to inflame fear, as the execution was usually carried out in a public place in full view.
Bloody eagle
This type of execution was described in the Scandinavian sagas. The victim's ribs were broken so that they resemble wings. Then light victims were pulled through the hole between the ribs. Salt was sprinkled on the wounds.
Gridiron
Roasting the victim on hot coals.
Crushing
Although you've already read about the elephant crush method, there is another similar method. Crushing was popular in Europe and America as a method of torture. Each time the victim refused to comply, more weight was placed on their chest until the victim died of shortness of breath.
Wheeling
Also known as Catherine's Wheel. The wheel looked like a regular cart wheel, only large in size with a lot of spokes. The victim was undressed, arms and legs were laid out and tied, then the executioner beat the victim with a large hammer, breaking bones. At the same time, the executioner tried not to inflict fatal blows.
Spanish tickler
Also known as cat paws. These devices were used by the executioner to tear and rip the skin from the victim. Often death did not occur immediately, but as a result of infection.
Burning at the stake
In history, a popular method of the death penalty. If the victim was lucky, he or she was executed along with several others. This ensured that the flames would be large and death would come from carbon monoxide poisoning, not from being burned alive.
Bamboo
Extremely slow and painful punishment was used in Asia. The bamboo stalks sticking out of the ground were sharpened. Then the accused was hung over the place where this bamboo grew. The rapid growth of the bamboo and its pointed tops allowed the plant to pierce the human body through and through in one night.
Premature burial
This technique has been used by governments throughout the history of capital punishment. One of the last documented cases was during the 1937 massacre in Nanjing, in which Japanese troops buried Chinese citizens alive.
Ling Chi
Also known as "death by slow cutting" or "slow death", this form of execution was eventually outlawed in China in the early 20th century. The victim's body organs were slowly and methodically removed while the executioner tried to keep him or her alive for as long as possible.
Hanged, drowned and dismembered
Used mainly in England. The method is regarded as one of the most brutal forms of execution ever created. As the name suggests, the execution was carried out in three parts. Part one - the victim was tied to a wooden frame. So she hung almost to the point of death. Immediately thereafter, the victim's belly was ripped open and the entrails were removed. Then the entrails were burned in front of the victim. Then the condemned man was beheaded. After all this, his body was divided into four parts and scattered throughout England for public viewing. This punishment was applied only to men, convicted women, as a rule, were burned at the stake.